Come Saturday, Virginia will join nearly 20 other states in making it illegal for adults to serve alcohol to youths in their homes. Violators face a misdemeanor charge and a fine.
“This would require more personal responsibility from parents,” said Del. Brian J. Moran (D-Alexandria), the bill’s chief sponsor. “If an officer sees a bunch of kids with a keg or drinking alcohol, police would now have reason to enter the home because they know a crime might be occurring inside the residence. It gives law enforcement a tool to stop these types of keg parties.”
The law exempts small family gatherings and guests 21 and older or those accompanied by a parent, guardian or spouse of legal age.
The legal drinking age is 21. There is some concern about the law, especially as it relates to those who are 18 but not yet 21.
“The intent is good, but the law itself has problems,” said [House Majority Leader H. Morgan] Griffith [R-Salem], noting that legal guardianship ends at 18. “Once you’re 18, you don’t have a legal guardian, unless you’re in prison or mentally incompetent. This law now creates another exception in the law of the age of majority.”
Also in effect Saturday are laws mandating a minimum six-month driver’s license suspension for people convicted of underage drinking and suspension of the driver’s license of adults who unlawfully provide alcohol to young people.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
Lower the drinking age to 18.
Old enough to fight in Iraq is old enough to drink a beer.
I seem to recall that it did used to be 18 for beer and wine and 21 for alcohol. Seems reasonable to me. And the voting age used to be 21, but was lowered to 18, if I recall correctly, because young people were dying in war before they could vote.
I’m just getting sick of this sort of legislation. First people want to ban smoking in restaurants (irregardless of what the owner wants) and now laws dictate what can happen on private property.
Europe doesn’t have a problem like this, so why should we?
Sadly, this bill further takes away the parents’ ability, if they so desire, to teach young people responsibility.
If I am willing to take the responsibility, and if I (or some other parent) obtain parental permission from all attendees’ parents, I should be able to host a chaperoned party. The rules would be simple: 1. Chaperones would not drink – at all; 2. all attendees surrendered their car keys on arrival and agreed to spend the night or be picked up by a sober adult; 3. Chaperones would maintain awareness of consumption and provide security/ maintain order. 4. those who breached the peace or the agreement would be banned from future parties.
If we are not allowed to teach and train our youth in the home, they will “teach” themselves on the street among their peers. Don’t kid yourself into believing they cannot get alcohol underage…we did.
So, what other illegal activity is ok as long as it’s done by parents in a home?
MGS – your plan is sound. Isn’t that what personal responsibility is all about?
By that rule, kids with parental permission can do cocaine as long as they’re supervised, spend the night or get driven home by a sober adult.
Yes, but then that gets back to the issue of personal responsibility.
Hi, I have a question. My littlesister has been worned by an officer once about drinking. She was on the porch of a friends house and the police officer asked to see some ID he wrote her down and whent on his way. A few weeks later she was taken to the hospital via ambulance due to her friends calling. She had been drinking and passed out and some friends found her and brought her to her dorm room where then the emts where called. She was at some ones house drinking that was of age but wonderd out of the house. The police got wind when she was brought to the hospital but did not see her that night while she was intoxicated. they did hawever manage to take her phone from the house she had been at that night and held on to it till she cameand got it. She just when and got it and now is being charged in Virginia with a class-4 under age drinking and class-1 posetion by consumtion. she is being charged with the warning that the officer had given her earlier in the year as wellas the new happenings. I want to know how can they charge her if they never saw her drunk and what consiquences she may face. We don’t have enough money to get a lawyer and reall need some advice!!
Thank you so much!
Wow, Brett. That is an amazing story. I really don’t know the answer but if you can’t afford a lawyer, maybe Legal Aid can help you out. Depending on where the offense occurred, check out this one, this one, or this one. Hope that helps!